Process of therapeutic treatment of air in a sick-room.



F. BATTBR.

PROCESS 0F THERAPEUTIU TREATMENT OF AIR IN A SICK ROOM.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, 1908. 1,1 07,745, Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

F. BATTER.

PROCESS 0F THERAPBUTIG TREATMENT 0F AIB. IN A SICK ROOM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY '7| 190B. 1,1 07,745, Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FRANK BATTER, OFST. JOHNS, OREGON.

PRDCESS F THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT 0F AIR IN A SICK-ROQM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1914i'.

Application filed July-7, 1908. Serial No. 442,430.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK Barren, of St.

Y Johns, in the county of Multnomah, and in the State of Oregon, haveinvented alcertain new and useful Improvement in Processes ofTherapeutic Treatment of Air in a Sick- Room, and do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description t-hereof,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- M Figure 1is a horizontal section of a building constructed in accordance with myinvention, showing a portion of the basement and a part of the groundfloor; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of said building.

The object of my invention is the provision of conditions which willsecure the comfort and health of human beings by the production andmaintenance of those conditions of the air or atmosphere by which theyare surrounded which are or may be neces sary for comfort and theprevention and eure of diseases, and to this end my inven` particularcase requires, without the neces "sity of a journey to the particularlocality where the desired conditions exist naturally, and with'theadvantage, which does not exist under natural conditions, of permanenceof the desired conditions, of freedom from the variations which undernatural conditions are unavoidable, and with the further advantage thatthe atmosphere in which the patient lives may be medicated.

My invention is applicable to a single room in an ordinary dwellinghouse, or a hospital or Sanatorium may be specially constructed, and toillustrate my invention, I have selected an embodiment of it in aSanatorium or hospital, the building shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawings being such a Sanatorium and having abasement A in which islocated certain working parts of the apparatus I employ, and a groundHoor divided into numerous rooms B arranged on opposite sides of acentral corridor C. From the corridor a doorway opens into a vestibule Dfor each room, which doorway is closed by an air-tight door l0, and fromthe vestibule a doorway opens into its room, which is closed by asimilar door 10, and ingress to and egress from the building is had by avestibule E having an outer doorway closed by an air-tight door 10 andan inner doorway that communicates with the corridor closed by anair-tight door l0. Around the outer door is a screened inclosure F, toexclude insects, and said screened inclosure has a door f. Said door fcarries one member of an electric switch f which controls current to anelectric fan supported in the top of the screened inclosure above theouter door 10, the circuit being closed when the screen door f is openso as to cause the operation of the fan to drive away any insectsfinding their way into the inclosure, and open or broken when the screendoor f is closed. A second story of the building is utilized as agymnasium,beingsupplied with suitable apparatus, and such story may bereached by a stairway G that leads from the vestibule E to a vestibule Hfor the gymnasium, the doorway leading from the vestibule H to the'gymnasium being closed by an air-tight door 10.

The doors 10 have spring hinges 1l which act to swing them normally to aclosed position, and to make an air-tight joint, a packying strip isinterposed between the edge .of

the door and the door jamb or frame. The doors and other openings aremade air-tight in order to maintain the desired conditions in the roomsunintluenced by external or outdoor conditions, both from the entranceof air from outof doors and the outward passage of the aeriform contentsof the room.

Situated at some convenient point that may communicate with the interiorof the building, is a vertical air shaft 12 which as shown in thedrawings risesfrom the floor of the basement through the building andemerges through the roof and is carried to a height to reach air as freeas possible from insects, dust, smoke, noxious gases, or otherimpurities, 'and below the top of said shaft which is covered by a cap13 is provided a perforated section Mforming a screen for air enteringthe shaft, said shaft being the means for the introduction of air to thef building. From the bottom of the stack apipe 15 runs to a blower 16driven by an electric motor 17. From the blower an out-` let pipe 18runs to a washer 20 having an eduction pipe 21, from which a portion of'27 and the washer 20, so that if desired air may be delivered directlyfrom the blower voutlet 18 to the main 24 either wholly or in part. A.portion of the air passing from the washer 20 when the latter is in usepasses diy rectly to the room-supplying main 24, and a portion to thedrier 22, and the portion which passes to the drier is deliveredtherefrom to an eduction pipe 30 that leadsto another supply main 31,from which likewise branches 32 run to the rooms or compartments and thecorridor and deliver the air thereto through outlets 33. y

To take the aeriform contents of the rooms or compartments therefrom, 1provide a main 57 having branches 58 which lead to the various rooms,the communica tion between a room and a branch being preferablycontrolled by a hand-operated valve which is attached tothe handles 60and 61, respectively, of the -bolt or fastener of the door 10 thatcontrols communication between a room and its vestibule, said handlesbeing respectively inside and outside the room. This valve is a two-wayvalve and by means of it one may exhaust the air from a. room or itsvestibule, or the corridor or its vestibule. The exhau'stmain 57 hasconnected with itin the basement an exhaust fan 64 driven by an electricmotor 65, and from the exhaust fan G4 an eduction pipe 66 runs to a tankor pit 67. Contiguous to the exhaust fan 64, the exhaust main 57 is bentand enters a box G8 lined with felt 69 or filled with porous material todeaden sound and to form a support or holder for a disinfectant orgermicide in some form that will saturate such material, and also forthe purpose of deadening or preventing the admission of sound, theexhaust main 57 has contiguous to the box 68 a short section ofnon-metallic pipe '70. The tank or pit 67 may lcontain a disinfectant orgermicide.

To provide proper ventilation in the event of the stoppage of theexhaust fan or the closing of the exhaust main, 1provide anautomatically operated valve, which con-- trols an opening leading fromveach room to the outside thereof.

mov-,ras

ln each room is placed a barometer 85, i

the dial of the hygrometer the humidity of `various localities may bedesignated for the more convenient taking account and maintenance of thedegree of humidity desired in a given room.

F or heating the rooms, radiators 109 connected with a heatingapparat-us may be employed, and open fireplaces 110 may be used, thesmoke outlet or chimney being connected with the exhaust main so thatwhen air is being exhausted from the rooms, the outlet to the outer airthrough the chimney may be closed, a suitable damper 111 being placed inthe chimney for the'purpose.

lnY the operation of my invention in the` -caso of the apparatusillustrated in the drawings, the procedure is as follows: v By theoperation of the blower 16, airis drawn yfrom a safe altitude throughthe air stack or shaft 12, and either all, or aportion of the air drawnin, is 'passed through the washer 20, dependent upon the position of thevalves or dempers 28 and 29 in the pipes 18 and 27, and all, or a' partof it may passed first through the drier 22 and thence by main 31 to therooms or directly tothe latter by the main 24. The proportions of f ,airdelivered to a particular room without first passing' through thedrie-r, to that delivered thereto after passing through the drier, isregulated by the -dampers and is according to .the kdegree of humidityder sired in that room. Thus if the hygrometer in the roomreads 70% andthe phy- `sician desires to reproduce 'for the patient a certain climatewhere the humidity is 30%, the damper controlling the main 24 is 'closedto cut ,off the supply of airnot first dried and the damper of the main31 is opened to increase the supply of drier air. The blower 16 is usedto produce a pressure only suiicielt to overcome the friction of the airthrough the shaft 12 and to force it through the washer, and not toproduce a pressure in the-supply mains 24. and 31.

The air taken from the stack or shaft and passing through the drier 22has contact with the tubes or cylinders therein containing an airabsorbing-material, and enough of the latter is employed to take fromthe air nearly all the moisture carried 130.

thereby, so that when theair makes its exit from the drier, it will bein a very dry condition. The moisture taken up by the absorbent materialis given up in turn by the latter to the heated air which passesvertlcally through the hollow cylinders or tubes as hereinbeforeexplained, and thus the absorbent material is maintained in an activestate. The lining of burlap or other fabric for the tubes or cylindersWhile not interfering with the proper action of the apparatus, preventsthe small particles of absorbent .material from passing through thecylinder wall.

lith the drier constructed as I have described, ample provision is madefor the extraction of moisture from the air to be treated, and formaintaining the absorbent material in an active state, and anyconsiderable quantity of air is prevented from 'finding its way to theinterior of the tubes or cylinders and being lost by escaping throughthe flue 56.

By the operation of the exhaust fan 64, air is withdrawn from thevarious rooms and corridors while fresh or new supplies of air are beingdelivered thereto, and it will be evident that by simple adjustment otthe dampers in a particular room, which control the supply of airthereto, `any desired degree of rarefaction of that particular room maybe secured, so that the barometric pressure therein may be that whichthe physician considers advisable :in the particular case, accuratenoting of the pressure being possible by use of the barometer in theroom, and the humidity of a particular room may be any degree desired tosuit the particular case, the degree of humidity being possible ofascertainment accurately and quickly by the hygrometer provided in theroom, and by means of the heating apparatus and reference to thethermometer provided in a particular room, a desired .degree ottemperature may be obtained therein; and in addition to the reproductionof these natural conditions which do not obtain in the locality Wherethe building or room is located, it is' possible by my invention tocharge the atmosphere of a particulary room by any desired medicament.The regulation of the temperature of a room while maintaining certainconditions of air pressure and humidity therein, is a matter of specialimportance in the treatment of certain diseases to which, for example,high temperatures are unfavorable or disasterous, and which maketreatment under the natural conditions of ai-r pressure and humiditythat are favorable to the disease, have the drawback that such naturalconditions are to be found in localities where the temperature is high.

With my invention, the danger to patients from careless or unwiseopening of Windows by nurses or attendants for the purpose ofventilation, which exists in hospitals and elsewhere is avoided, sothat, for example, a patient on Whom an operation has been performed andwho may be specially liable to bronchitis or other pulmonary affectionsdue todrafts, is perfectly protected in this regard. His room may beperfectly ventilated and yet without the possibility of any dangerousdrafts, the incoming air being spread or diffused along the ceiling ofthe room, and the outgoing ail' being taken from near the floor of theroom,'and the opening for the outlet pipe being if desired protected byan inverted hood or shield.

By the provision of the gymnasium, convalescent patients may exerciseunder perfectly Yfavorable conditions, and in the gymnasium, forexample, the advantages incidental to mountain climbing, due to therarefied air and the low temperature, may be obtained by exercise in aproperly rarefied air of the desired temperature', and the deepbreathing which results from exercise, may be utilized by charging theair of the gymnasium with some medicament which will thus be inhaledunder most advantageous conditions.

It will thus be seen that the `air is taken from a distance above thesurface sufficient to insure its purity and coolness, is washed anddried, carried to the rooms without possibility of contamination,rareied to any desired degree and because of the consequent expansionthe temperature is reduced in a natural Way to correspond with that of ahigh altitude and the consequent benefit to certain diseases isattained. The air is impregnated with any desired curative agents, anydesired degree of ventilation is attained and the vitiated air isremoved without the possibility of communicating with and contaminatingother rooms and the exhausted air is disinfected before liberation.Protection is secured against exhausting heat of summer` and thedetrimental accompaniment of any climate due to storms and theconsepquent changes of humidity, barometric pressure and temperature. Apatient, instead of traveling long distances and encountering many risksmay remain at home where hc may receive the best of attendance and yetappropriate all the benefits that would accompany any climate.-

In view of the fact that the influx and efflux of air from a room isabsolutely under control, it is an easy matter to produce and maintain ararefied condition of the air in a particular room, the aeriformcontents of such room being drawn off more rapidly than they enter it,and it is possible to graduate the degree of rarefaction so thatv apatient may gradually become accustomed to that degree of rareiedatmosphere which his particular case requires. As is well known,

it is s distinct benet to e patient Whose blood has lost some ot itsvitality or is impoverished, to live or be in a rareed atmosphere,because under such conditions there is an accumulation of a largerproportion of oxygen by the blood, so that the blood in such a case Willcontain a larger proportion of hemoglobin and of oxygen than is the casewheres patient lives under normal pressure;

`By my system of vestibules and doors, and the valve-controlled airpassages in the doors, ingress and egress to the building and -to therooms is possible under conditions which reduce the danger ofcontamination or infection from the outside and from room to room toalminimum, and the operation oit the inner doors is easynotvvitlistanding the existence of pressures inside them which mow/eeotherwise might subject them to unbalanced pressure.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim is The method ofcontrolling the atmosphere for producing beneficial .e'ects upon humanbeings in an isolated room Which consists in 25 supplying air from outdoors, passing the air through a Washer, drying a portion o" theWashedair, delivering the dried portion. to the room, and delivering airdirectly from the Washer to the room. l

ln testimony that li claim the foregoirn' ll have hereunto set my hand.v

Y )FRANK BATTER. Witnesses:

M. BnmLiNes, l, ,1ML Miners.

